Advances in High-Performance Ceramic Antennas

for Small-Form-Factor, Multi-Technology Devices

2007, Ethertronics
2007, Ethertronics

Presentation outline

Market Requirements Driving Multiple

Antenna Integration & Thinner Packages
Antenna Design Requirements
Advantages of Ethertronics IMD Technology
GPS Antenna Comparison Testing
Dual frequency products

2007, Ethertronics

Trend: Multiple Antennas per Phone

4,000,000
WiFi
GPS
3,500,000

Bluetooth

Common to have 2-4

antennas per phone

Main Cellular
3,000,000

WiFi

U n it V o lu m e

2,500,000

2,000,000

Most popular
features with
highest attach rates
Bluetooth - 50%
GPS - 25%

GPS

1,500,000

Bluetooth

1,000,000

Main Cellular

500,000
Source Gartner

2005

2007, Ethertronics

2006

2007

2008

2009

2010

Trend: Smaller Handsets Less Volume

71 cubic cm

75 cubic cm

56 cubic cm

Thin phone trend is accelerating

Volumes decreasing ~10% per year
Ultra Thin handsets are challenging
Utilize ~50% of the average volume

55 cubic cm
Industry Trendline
Cell Phone Volumes

2004
2005
2006

Avg Phone
Volume
131 cu.cm
122 cu.cm
106 cu.cm

Ultra Thin 55 cu.cm

Source: Current Analysis

2007, Ethertronics

Design Challenges
WCDMA antenna

Overall device size shrinking

More antennas in less space
Maximum component height
under 2.5mm for Ultra models

More parasitic elements

Speakers, cameras, flex

Cell antenna

BT antenna

WLAN antenna

Less quality real estate

More I/O connectors on side of the board

Antenna collocation
Diversity or different applications
Example: Bluetooth and WiFi integration
2007, Ethertronics

Antenna Requirements

2007, Ethertronics

Benchmark Dual Band Performance

Typical antenna
specifications:
Better than 10 dB
Return Loss
Better than 20 dB
Isolation

Return
Loss

Benchmark phone
required 25 dB of
isolation to meet
OEM performance
specifications

Isolation

GPS
2007, Ethertronics

Bluetooth
7

Antenna Volume Theory

Wheeler & Mc Lean provided the basic insights for
identifying the real effective volume of embedded antennas
Wheelers Formula

f
antenna mode volume
= K
3
f
(radio wavelength)
Given constraints on design space, how should one compare
two antennas when their antenna mode volume will
become altered as part of the mechanical design?
How close is the nearest metal object?
Should coupling effects and consequences be considered?

2007, Ethertronics

Antenna Requirements
Smaller antennas in close proximity
With high efficiency above 40% threshold
Well-controlled radiation resist performance changes
(good for customer as well as designer)
Immunity to other frequencies or diversity antennas
GPS separation from UMTS-1700, sharing of 2.4 GHz

How to achieve ideal performance:

Decrease interaction between antennas
Decrease interaction between phone elements
Minimize antenna ground dependence

Key Factors
2007, Ethertronics

Isolation
Selectivity
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Isolation Drives Overall Performance

Isolation describes how an antenna
interacts with its surrounding.
How can isolation be improved ?
By shaping the antennas near field away
from the perturbations and the absorbers.
ET antenna isolation: 2mm
for 0.3% frequency shift

2007, Ethertronics

Superior isolation allows:

- better efficiency
- easier integration
- semi-standardized products

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IMD Provides Superior Isolation

ET IMD antennas are more tolerant of interfering objects
Hand placement and head significantly impact performance

GPS signal strength improved by staying on frequency

Return-Loss Chart
Before / After Hand Placement

Isolation Test Results

- GPS Internal antenna example
-very sensitive to freq. shift
- IMD antennas stay on frequency
even with interference from
other objects e.g., hand

Any current flow on the board becomes

a part of the antenna radiating mechanism.
When touched, the characteristics of the antenna change.
2007, Ethertronics

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GPS Antenna Comparisons

(following vendors recommendations)
Antenna Selectivity

efficiency, %

100

Ethertronics

90

Sample 1

80

Sample 2

70

Sample 3

60
50

Problem Area
Overlap with UMTS,
AWS Band

40
30
20
10
0
1500

1525

1550

1575

1600

1625

1650

1675

1700

frequency, MHz

Highest efficiency does not tell entire story

Important to also study the frequency component of antennas efficiency

Selectivity ability to reject the frequencies outside its range

2007, Ethertronics

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Ceramic
GPS Antenna
Test Bed

2007, Ethertronics

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Several Variables to Consider

The antenna may require ground plane removal

It will excite some of the board, but how much?
the board itself could become the antenna

What about board placement, and distance to nearest

interferers, eg a shield can, or a battery
We developed a test bed, focusing on the isolation,
selectivity, efficiency and position of the antenna
2007, Ethertronics

Shield Can Separation Test

Several Tests utilizing
metal can as interferer
Measure changes in:
Efficiency
Center frequency

At 3 distances
3, 6 and 9mm apart

Calculate Volume/Area
Device size

3mm
6mm
9mm

shield can
separation

Footprint & placement

Real antenna volume

Interaction with can

Keep-out zone is 3D
2007, Ethertronics

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Efficiency Lowered by Shield Can

Efficiency
100
90
80
efficiency, %

70
60
50
40
30

Ethertronics

20

Sample 1
Sample 2

10

Sample 3

0
0

12

15

shield can distance, mm

Sample 1, significantly impacted

Broadband antenna has best performance
All samples above 40% efficiency threshold in free space
2007, Ethertronics

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Frequency Shifted by Shield Can

Frequency Shift

Efficiency

15%

150

frequency shift, MHz

125

Ethertronics

100

Sample 1
75

Sample 2
Sample 3

50

70%

25

40%
60%

0
0

12

15

shield can distance, m m

Sample 1 significantly impacted

High-efficiency, broadband sample 2 survives shifts impact
IMD antenna stays rock solid on frequency
2007, Ethertronics

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Board Position Test Set up

Determine how much

normal performance can
vary from the specified
best case

2007, Ethertronics

Position 4

Position 2

Position 3

Position 1

How often is the best

antenna location where
one has space to place it?

Board Area
40mm x 80mm

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Typical GPS Antenna Performance

Average Performance - 3 locations
Ethertronics - Avg Best 3

100

Sam ple 1 - Avg Best 3

90

Sam ple 2 - Avg Best 3

80

Sam ple 3 - Location 3 only

efficiency, %

70
60
50
40
30
20
10
0
1525

1550

1575

1600

1625

frequency, MHz

Average from 3 best positions out of 4 tested

Samples 1 & 2 show a 5~10% drop from peak efficiency
IMD stayed consistent across all three locations
2007, Ethertronics

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Worst Case Performance

Worst Performance - Single Location
100

Ethertronics - Position 1

90

Sam ple 1 - Position 3

Sam ple 2 - Position 2

80

Sam ple 3 - Position 2

efficiency, %

70
60
50
40
30
20
10
0
1525

1550

1575

1600

1625

frequency, MHz

Two antennas still above 40% threshold

Broadband antenna Sample 2 vs IMD Dual Band, Dual Feed
IMD antenna decreased efficiency by 25% vs >50%+ by all others
2007, Ethertronics

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Summary of Test Results

W1

Sample 1
Sample 2
Sample 3

10

20

1.5

ET BT & GPS
ET GPS only

14

1.3

10

1.3

L1

96
60
48

336

1,344

156

624

70

105

80
60

140

182

112

146

65%
77%
46%

Observations
Limited Isolation from its environment; significant perf changes
High Gain, but poor GPS band selectivity; need BPF
Low Efficiency, stable performance, single location usage

68%
68%

Steady performance under all conditions; thinnest package

Best efficiency to volume ratio

all measurements in mm, sq mm, or cu mm

Area = (L1 + 2x GC) x (W 1 + GC)

Use L2 and W 2

Simple Volume test provided valuable

insights on efficiency and freq shifts
Two antennas excelled throughout
Ethertronics and Broadband Sample #2
Design Tradeoffs include:
Keep Out and Ground restrictions
Cost & Space needed for Filters
2007, Ethertronics

W2
L2
Keep-out
Area

Antenna L
1
W1
Samples 1 & 2

H
ET & Sample 3

Circuit Board

New Antenna Up To Market Challenges

Phone real estate as pricey as Paris

So combining functions is mandatory
Yet antennas prefer separation for isolation

4.5mm gap
Quad Band Antenna

Perform a Best of Performance Criteria Review

Compact Size, Great Isolation & Freq Stability
Flexible implementation without sacrificing gain

ETs IMD dual band, dual feed antenna products

GPS and Bluetooth sampling now
PCS Diversity, WiFi, WiMAX and others in testing
2007, Ethertronics

Next Generation of Ceramic Antennas

Leverages underlying
IMD technology
Dual Band, Dual Feed
Ideal implementation

Peak Efficiency
GPS over 68%
Bluetooth over 50%
2007, Ethertronics

One Antenna Outperforms Two

Ceramic version
improves key results
by approx 4 dB
GPS isolation
2007, Ethertronics

Conclusion
Smaller and more complex phone designs make
antenna design more challenging.
IMD technology allows smaller designs and better
performance in densely populated volumes.
IMDs isolation and selectivity allow integration of
multiple antennas in a single ceramic block.
Ceramic IMD antennas demonstrate ideal
characteristics for next-generation products.
2007, Ethertronics

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